Jones takes victory in the final race of Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge in QR

Harri Jones extends Championship lead with victory in Race 3

Jones takes victory in the final race of Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge in QR

Harri Jones takes victory in the final race of Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge in QR

As a blanket of early fog lifted from the Queensland Raceway on Sunday morning, all eyes were on the front row-pairing Harri Jones and Christian Pancione for the final race of Round 4 of the Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge.

The pair had traded blows the whole weekend and with championship rival, Max Vidau starting from the back of the field, Jones would be looking to extend his lead overall. Pancione, by contrast, would be hungrier than ever for his first win in Porsche GT3 Cup Car – having finished behind Jones in third and second respectively for the weekends’ first races.

Race 3 literally started with a bang near the back of the TAG Heuer Pro-Am class, with Matt Belford and Graham Williams coming together off the start line. Belford’s car would pivot into the newly-reinforced Queensland Raceway pit wall, while Williams’ car would limp on to the outside of Turn 1.

With both cars stranded, a lengthy safety car period ensued. Jones backed up the field before the restart as he had done successfully in Race 2 and was closely followed by Pancione, Aaron Love, Ryan Suhle and Tom Taplin.

Sam Shahin had got the jump on Brett Boulton in the TAG Heuer Pro-Am class after the Race 2 winner struggled off the start. Andrew Goldie and David Greig meanwhile, resumed where they had left off and continued their weekend-long tussle in Class B.

The safety car period removed any concerns the drivers might have had regards tyre conservation for Race 3 and it would be an intense finish to the line.

Jones executed the perfect restart as the cars emerged onto the pit straight with 7 laps remaining. Pancione slotted into second but challenged Jones for the lead down the back straight.

Jones took a defensive line into Turn 2 and retained his slight advantage, while McElrea teammate, Ryan Suhle was held up behind Aaron Love in the battle for third.

Suhle had better tyres and race pace than Love, causing the Bob Jane T-Marts driver to defend aggressively for a number of laps. Suhle eventually lost patience and dove up the inside of the left-handed turn 3 in the dying laps.

The contact relegated Love to fifth behind Sonic Racing teammate Max Vidau, who had made an impressive recovery from the back of the grid. After the race, the stewards would hand down a 15sec post-race penalty to Suhle, dropping the McElrea Racing driver to 11th in the final classification.

Jones would hold off Pancione for the race (and round) win, while Sam Shahin and Goldie would take line honours in their respective classes.

After the race, Jones thanked his team and sponsors, “It’s been an awesome weekend, with two victories, a second and the round win, all in front of my support team and Heli Mods sponsors. The car was unreal and I can’t thank McElrea Racing team enough.”

“Taking the series’ 200th race yesterday afternoon, was one of the best races of my life and my season so far. With such a long race, it was probably one of the biggest challenges for myself and the team, as it’s easy to produce a car that’s quick in the first 10 laps, but producing a car that’s quick over 30 laps is just awesome.”

The Queenslander extends his lead in the overall Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge Championship, as the teams now head south for Round 5 at Sandown Raceway on the 20-22 September

The battle at the sharp end of the Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge field has never been tighter between the categories leading teams and drivers, with lap times thus far being the fastest ever recorded at the Queensland Raceway for this generation Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car.

While McElrea Racing drivers Harri Jones and Ryan Suhle topped the Friday practice sessions, it was the turn of Christian Pancione from Ashley Seward Motorsport (ASM) to set the pace in qualifying on Saturday morning.

After a strong performance behind the McElrea pairing the previous day, Pancione set the early pace in Saturday’s qualifying and gradually got quicker through the morning session. After the trio of leading Michelin Juniors all pitted for fresh tyres with 5 minutes remaining, Pancione would emerge to post the fastest time of the weekend, narrowly edging out Ryan Suhle for pole position by a mere 0.040secs. Harri Jones and Max Vidau meanwhile would qualify in third and fourth respectively.

After the session, Pancione credited the pole position to the work of his ASM team, “Overnight the team and I went through the data and we saw where I could improve. The team did an amazing job with the car and I can’t thank the ASM guys enough.”

After a disappointing Phillip Island Round, Pancione also underwent development work with Paul Morris at his Norwell Motorplex in Queensland and together with the ASM team, looks to have found some good form at the mid-point of the 2019 season.

Brett Boulton would continue to set the pace in TAG Heuer Pro-Am class, as he had done all weekend, taking pole position ahead of Sam Shahin and Michael Hovey. Andrew Goldie would continue his season-long tussle with David Greig in Class B, out-qualifying the Victorian by just under 0.4secs.

The West Australian also credited the ASM team to his improved performance this season, “The biggest difference from last year, is that this year we are running with Ash Seward Motorsport. As privateers, we didn’t have access to data previously, but the coaching and assistance I’ve received from Ash this year, has really made all the difference with me going faster.”

But as the red lights went out for the start of Race 1, so too did the hopes of the ASM teammates. Both Pancione and Suhle got jumped off the line by the Bob Jane T-Marts entry of Max Vidau. The Sonic Racing driver drove from fourth to first around the outside of Turn 1, with Harri Jones slotting into second and Pancione into third.

Under braking for Turn 3 Ryan Suhle was squeezed to the outside and made contact back of Pancione. The incident bent the young Queenslander’s steering rack and forced him into early retirement, unravelling all the hard work he had put in the previous day.

At the front of the field, Vidau was making the best job of leading pack on his Michelin tyres, and the leading trio soon pulled a 4.5sec gap on Cameron Crick in P4.

Tony Martin would then spin under breaking into the final corner. The resultant safety car would see Vidau, Jones and Pancione lose the advantage they had built up to the chasing field.

After the restart, the leading trio again looked to escape the pack, but on this occasion, Crick kept pace holding onto a strong fourth. Brett Boulton meanwhile, led the TAG Heuer Pro-Am battle in fifth. He was chased by Sam Shahin for most of the race, until contact with Tom Taplin with 6 laps remaining, saw Shahin retire with a puncture.

The last three laps were a masterclass performance by the leading Pro trio demonstrating hard, but fair racing. Vidau defended his lead from Jones who in turn came under intense pressure from Pancione. After some doorhandle-to-doorhandle passes and tit-for-tat exchanges, it was Jones that would cross the line second behind Vidau.

After the race, an ecstatic Vidau remarked, “Our cold tyre pace was great in the beginning, but that unfortunately hindered us at the end of the race as I killed the rear tyres. That meant I had to block very aggressively at the end, but I was happy to hold on for the race win.”

The final session of the day marked not only the 33 lap Jim Richards Endurance Trophy race for the 4th round but also the 200th race milestone in Porsche Michelin GT# Cup Challenge history.

Vidau started in the same fashion that he finished the first, narrowly edging out Harri Jones for the lead into turn 1, but Jones undercut the Sonic driver to take inside line onto the back straight and head the field on the opening lap.

After his dramas in the Race 1, Ryan Suhle would start from the back of the 19-car grid, but soon pass six cars on the opening lap on his way through the field. By lap 10, a slight gap had emerged between the leading trio of Jones, Vidau and Pancione to the chasing pack. But a lapse in concentration exiting the ‘paperclips’ left-hand turn 3, would see Jones run wide and offer Vidau the opportunity to take the lead.

Further back in the Class B battle, Andrew Goldie would overtake David Greig for the lead and proceed to extend his advantage to the line. Brett Boulton would continue to dominate the TAG Heuer Pro-Am class pulling out a 6 sec advantage over Sam Shahin.

At the sharp end of the field, Vidau had controlled the pace for two-thirds of the race, until suddenly starting to slow on lap 21. Vidau’s mechanical issues caused Jones to take evasive action and hand the lead to Pancione. Vidau’s retirement dealt a devastating blow to the young South Australian and his Bob Jane T-Marts team.

Jones would then retake the lead from Pancione with a gutsy move around the outside of Turn 1, while teammate Ryan Suhle had made his way through the field to fifth. After a safety car in the dying laps bunched the field once more, it was all to play for with 5 laps remaining.

The restart would allow Suhle the opportunity to get passed Crick for fourth and pass Aaron Love around the outside turn 3 for third, mark an amazing recovery drive from the back of the field.

Jones would hold off Pancione in the last laps to take the historic 200th Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge race win and further extend his lead in the Championship. The battle resumes on Sunday morning for the final race of the weekend.

McElrea drivers set the early pace in Practice 1 and 2 of Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge

Jones and Suhle leverage home advantage in Queensland Practice

McElrea drivers set the early pace in Practice 1 and 2 of Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge

McElrea drivers set the early pace in Practice 1 and 2 of Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge

Clear, sunny conditions welcomed the Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge teams and competitors to Round 4 of the 2019 Championship at the Queensland Raceway in Ipswich on Friday.

McElrea Racing teammates, Harri Jones and Ryan Suhle put their hometown advantage to good use, taking turns to top the timesheets in the Pro Class in the day’s practice session. Jones grabbed a last-minute advantage over Suhle in the dying moments of the morning session, with Christian Pancione and Phillip Island round winner, Jordan Love also showing good pace throughout the session in third and fourth respectively.

Jones and Suhle are both Queensland based and are thriving under the experience of the McElrea team, whose resume of developing future stars has included the likes of Matt Campbell, Jaxon Evans and Cooper Murray in recent years.

In the TAG Heuer Pro-Am class, Scott Taylor set the early pace in Practice 1 but was soon demoted down the order by first Sam Shahin and then Brett Boulton, while Andrew Goldie was unchallenged in Class B.

After the day’s first session Jones remarked, “It’s been a good start to the weekend, we struggled on the first set of tyres, the Supercars rubber that went down last week has changed the track a fair bit, but we made a few tweaks and finished off P1.”

“I love Ipswich, it’s my home track and I’ve not only driven here for a few years but its where I started my racing career. It’s probably not the most exciting circuit in Australia, but definitely produces some exciting racing.”

Fellow McElrea teammate, Brett Boulton would also find his home town advantage beneficial despite the slippery conditions, “We were fortunate with this being our home track and to have had a test day here last weekend. While the track was slippery early on, I’m happy we could carry good momentum into this weekend.”

By the time the day’s second practice session commenced later in the afternoon, the sky was littered with rain threatening clouds but the session thankfully stayed dry allowing most teams to finalise their set up for the Saturday’s early qualifying.

After Jones again grabbed the early advantage in the second session, it was Max Vidau’s turn to join the party, bettering the 1m11.615 lap time Jones had posted in the morning session by a full tenth.

But as the session wore on, the times continued to fall with Pancione being the first to drop under the 1m11:4 mark. Suhle, Pancione and Jones then all dropped into the 1m10.6 sec bracket in quick succession with 5 minutes remaining.

New sets of Michelin rubber for both Suhle and Jones, finally saw the McElrea teammates round out the session with the days’ quickest times. Suhle’s final 1m10.561 lap was over 0.4secs faster than the 4-year-old lap record previously held by Ryan Simpson in 2015.

Boulton and Goldie again proved the pick of their respective classes and look likely to repeat the feat going into tomorrow’s qualifying. Tomorrow’s two races, along with Sunday morning’s final sprint race will all be streamed live via the Shannons Nationals website.

As the primary feeder category for the Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia, the Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge provides a home to not only seasoned racing enthusiasts but future stars.

This weekend will mark the 200th race in the series history, a significant milestone for the category and the Australian motorsport landscape. Created as a series for Porsche enthusiasts – by Porsche enthusiasts – its catered for 991, 997 and 996 models that had previously raced in the Porsche Carrera cup Australia.

The first-ever race was held at Mallala Raceway on 28 May 2008. Graeme Cook won all three races from Sven Burchartz that weekend, with the latter going on to claim the inaugural 2008 championship.

Commenting on the 200 milestone for the series, Burchartz said, “I’m really proud to see how the category has evolved and flourished over last years. It’s found its true home now, as an integral step within the Porsche Motorsport pyramid.”

The series would extend from 4 races to 6 for 2009, with Matt Kingsley taking the 996 class and outright championship ahead of Burchartz, while Roger Lago would become the first 997 class champion. The 997 cars were permitted to run with the series one year earlier than expected, as Carrera Cup went on hiatus for 2009 and 2010 seasons.

These 997 cars raced for points in their own class but were not awarded outright points, and thus, were not credited with outright race wins, poles or podiums in the record books. Burchartz along with John Trend and Jodi Zylstra were all instrumental to the creation of the series in 2008.

Zylstra explains how the category first came about, “GT3 Cup Challenge started as there was a need for drivers at the time – who didn’t want to race in the Australian GT Championship – to establish their own category as many of the Porsches were already eligible, as well as others that could be accommodated within the class under the technical regulations. Sven (Burchartz) and Jon Trende approached Porsche Cars Australia in December 2007 and immediately got the support from Jamey Blaikie and Michael Winkler.”

After the foundation was laid, Zylstra – who was Operations Manager for Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge at the time – was approached by Porsche Cars Australia to oversee the running of both categories, when Porsche Carrera Cup Australia was reintroduced in 2011

There were no real issues or obstacles in those early years recalls Zylstra, as Trend and Burchartz infused a mantra among competitors of ‘Race with your mates.’ Basically, anyone who had a Porsche and wanted to race, could come away and compete with series for the weekend.

“We always tried to keep the competitor costs down and at the time, it was as much about the comradery among the drivers, as it was about the action on the track. There was always a lot of laughs and fun on Friday and Saturday nights. None of the guys took themselves too seriously in those days, but of course, all that changed as soon as they got on the track the next morning.”

This sense of community prevails in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge paddock until today, although the make-up of the grid has evolved. While still providing a home for the enthusiasts of the German marque, in recent years Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge has become the country’s most proven launchpad for talented youngsters to climb the Porsche Motorsport pyramid.

The series has witnessed many of today’s top-level drivers cut their teeth in national competition, giving rise to the likes of Matt Campbell, Jaxon Evans, Fraser Ross, Roger Lago, Michael Almond, Brenton Grove, Dylan O’Keeffe and Tony Quinn, to name but a few.

Since 2008 there have been 67 rounds of the series and a total of 199 individual races held at those rounds. Of these 199 races, only two have been declared as ‘no results’. The first was in 2008 at Phillip Island, when Race 3 was cancelled after a barrier was damaged on the warm-up lap, with the resultant repairs forcing the cancellation of the race.

2009 at Eastern Creek, Race 2 was also declared a ‘no result’ after a multi-car accident on the opening lap caused a Safety Car and ultimately a red flag with the race declared.

As both races had started (a warm-up lap is considered a start under CAMS NCRs) the record books reflect that Queensland Raceway will host the 200th race this weekend, a huge milestone in the category’s history.

The records also reflect that Matt Kingsley holds the record for the most pole positions (9); the most round wins (8) and the most race wins (24) in the series history. While Jeff Bobik holds the record for the most outright podium finishes (13) and John Goodacre the record for the most round starts (34)

Qualifying and all the Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge races from Queensland Race this weekend will be streamed live via www.thenationals.com.au website

Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge teams head to Queensland for Round 4 of the 2019 Championship

Harri Jones leads Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge battle into QR

Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge teams head to Queensland for Round 4 of the 2019 Championship

Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge teams head to Queensland for Round 4 of the 2019 Championship

Forty kilometres south-west of the Brisbane CBD lies the City of Ipswich, a historic mining settlement founded in 1827. Along with the city’s more than 6000 heritage-listed sites and 500 parklands, many of its 200 000 residents are ardent motorsport fans and huge supporters of the local race track, the Queensland Raceway.

The 3.12km circuit – dubbed the ‘paperclip’ for its unusual layout of four right and 2 left-hand turns – plays host to Round 4 of the 2019 Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge Championship this weekend, the premium one-make category of the Shannons Nationals series.

The Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge Championship has always been a feeder category for the Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia, catering for both experienced Porsche enthusiasts as well as up-and-coming stars of the future.

This weekend, Race 2 will mark the 200th race in the series history, a significant milestone for the category and the Australian motorsport landscape. The first-ever race was held at Mallala Raceway on 28 May 2008. Greame Cook won all three races from Sven Burchchartz that weekend, with the latter going on to claim the inaugural 2008 championship.

From 2008 to 2018 there have been 67 rounds of the Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge Australia series and of these 199 individual races, only three have been declared ‘no races’.

Over its history, the series has witnessed many drivers cut their teeth in top-level national racing and given rise to the likes of Matt Campbell, Jaxon Evans, Fraser Ross, Roger Lago, Michael Almond, Brenton Grove, Dylan O’Keefe and Tony Quinn.

The category is also the launchpad for talented youngsters to climb the Porsche Motorsport pyramid. After successful campaigns in Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge, Jordan Love and Cooper Murray have looked to emulate Campbell and Evans’ progression up the ladder thanks to dominant performances in the Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia season thus far.

Love’s brother Aaron, was the pick of the Michelin Junior contenders in Round 3 of the Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge Championship in Phillip Island. But with three different winners from three different rounds this season, anyone can take line honours in Queensland, with all seven Michelin Junior drivers occupying the first eight positions in the overall standings.

Harri Jones’ pace and consistency through every round sees him head the Championship into Queeensland with a 58 point lead over Max Vidau and Aaron Love. The Sonic Motor racing teammates are tied for second position with Ryan Suhle and Christian Pancione fourth and fifth, respectively.

Sam Shahin continues to lead TAG Heuer Pro-Am class, although his earlier comfortable margin has been reduced to 42 points with Ross McGregor in second and ever-improving Brett Boulton in third.

David Grieg retains the lead Class B however his margin too was reduced last time out, thanks to Andrew Godie’s clean sweep at Phillip Island.

The Ipswich round will also see the Jim Richards Endurance Trophy decided across all four classes. After a pair of practice sessions on Friday, qualifying and two races will be held on a busy Saturday – the second race the longer, Jim Richards Endurance Trophy affair.

A final sprint race completes the round on Sunday morning with all three to be streamed live via the Shannons Nationals website.

A long-term exponent of the famous German marque, Tresidder was competing in the race with team Porsche Carrera Cup Asia – eventually finishing second in Class B and 19th outright.

As the race built towards its thrilling climax, the Sydney resident was watching from his own pit garage as Matt Campbell hauled the Earl Bamber Motorsport-prepared car through the international field. Following the Bathurst triumph, the car was flown to Germany and placed on display in the Porsche museum.

However, Tresidder’s purchase of the 911 GT3-R from Porsche Motorsport last month, means the car will ultimately return to Australia.

“I was there in our pits watching the last hour of the race unfold. Whilst all three drivers contributed to the end result, for me the stand out drive of the day was Matt Campbell with three overtaking moves in the last hour of the race, the best I have ever seen,” Tresidder explained.

“I was also competing in the same race with the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia team, so there are great memories associated with this epic win. As an Australian, I wanted to bring the car back home.”

Tresidder was presented the car last month in the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart, with Campbell on hand to ‘hand over the keys’ to the car. Despite his long relationship with the Porsche brand, Tresidder said he initially didn’t think he would be able to purchase the black GT3R, which features the iconic Silver Fern along its flanks.

“I thought I wouldn’t stand a chance of being able to secure the car, having won the 12-Hour,” he explained.

“However after the race I caught up with Alex Gibot (Head of Porsche Motorsport in the Asia-Pacific region) and told him I would like to buy it. Alex knows my history with Porsche Carrera Cup Asia and my love of Porsche, plus the car would be coming home to Australia and properly looked after.

“Alex started the process by contacting Porsche in Stuttgart and got the ball rolling, and fortunately we were successful.”

Currently still in Germany, the 911 GT3-R will begin a long journey home later this year via a stop at the Porsche Sports Cup China in October – a significant event in the region which will also feature several Porsche Museum cars on show on and off the track.

After driving the car for the first time in Shanghai, the car will return to Australia where Tresidder plans to race it as it was designed.

“I will race it lightly, probably the first event will be Bathurst at Easter 2020,” he confirmed.

“The now-famous livery will also stay, the only change will be to wipe off the sticky remains of Matt’s Champagne!”

With multiple starts to his credit in the Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour, Tresidder says the 12-Hour is well established as one of the world’s great races and the victory for Porsche had great significance for the brand and for him personally.

“This was Earl Bamber Motorsport’s first attempt running two factory cars and for him and his team to get a first time victory – and a first victory for Porsche – it doesn’t get much better.”

Bamber and Campbell, along with their Porsche GT team mates, will defend their 24-point lead in the Manufacturers standings of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in Lime Rock (USA) this weekend.

The race over 2:40 hours takes off on Saturday, 20 July and can be viewed live outside the USA and Canada on www.imsa.com.

TEENAGER Aaron Love has become the third winner from three rounds in the Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge Australia, sweeping to victory at the Phillip Island Grand Prix circuit in Victoria.

In a winner-take-all finale, Love entered the final race of the weekend tied on points with teammate Max Vidau and Championship leader Harri Jones, but won the start and fended off his rivals in a stunning 11-lap sprint to score his second race win of the year – and take the round overall.

Harri Jones finished second overall to extend his title lead, while Max Vidau completed the podium.

Brett Boulton won TAG Heuer Pro-Am in race three, while Shane Barwood won a highly competitive round in the Pro-Am class. Andrew Goldie swept all three races to win Class B.

Love, however, was the star as he won the start and fended off Jones and Vidau before gradually pulling away from the battle for second, ultimately recording a three-second victory aboard his Sonic Motor Racing Porsche.

His results mirror the efforts of older brother Jordan, who won the Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia round at Phillip Island earlier this year.

As such, the Love brothers now each sit second in their respective championship standings heading into the second half of the year with Aaron now right in contention for the GT3 Cup Challenge title.

“A lot of hard work goes in to it. There’s something about this track and (brother, Jordan) and I that mix with this track really well,” Love said.

“I’m absolutely stoked, thanks to the Sonic boys this weekend. The team pushed me along though the last few races which has really helped and it’s great to come away with the win. It was a close fought battle between each of us this weekend in every race and that makes it even sweeter to come away with the round victory.

“It looks really good in the championship now and we will be pushing harder than ever for the championship coming into the second half of the season.”

The race was yet another thriller and while Love found himself with a margin late in the race, the battle behind was furious.

Jones and Vidau battled for the duration with the pair side-by-side on multiple occasions. The fight for second became a three-way battle late in the race when Ryan Suhle joined the fun, after he diced with Christian Pancione earlier on.

Tom Taplin charged to sixth place while Brett Boulton was seventh and first in TAG Heuer Pro-Am.

He and class leader Sam Shahin battled early in the race however the latter was forced out when his car stopped with damage at turn eleven at half-race distance.

Cameron Crick, Michael Hovey and Shane Barwood completed the top-10. Barwood sealed the TAG Heuer Pro-Am round victory thanks to a trio of consistent results as all three of the title contenders had issues throughout the weekend.

While Boulton and Shahin each had non-finishes this weekend, Ross McGregor was pinged five seconds for a start line infringement in the final race – costing him positions.

Michael Hovey finished second in class at Phillip Island while McGregor completed the podium.

Goldie won class B over Grieg and Tony Martin.

After the first three rounds, Harri Jones now leads the standings by 58 points as the series heads into a winter break, prior to the next round at Queensland Raceway in late July.

Vidau and Love are now tied for second position with Ryan Suhle and Christian Pancione fourth and fifth, respectively.

Sam Shahin continues to lead TAG Heuer Pro-Am, though his earlier comfortable margin has been reduced to 42 points. Ross McGregor remains second in class with Brett Boulton closing on each of them in third.

David Grieg retains the lead Class B however his margin has been reduced thanks to Andrew Godie’s clean sweep at Phillip Island.

After a busy start to the season, the Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge field takes a well-earned break prior to the second half of the season commencing at Queensland Raceway on August 2-4.

The Ipswich round will also see the Jim Richards Endurance Trophy decided across all four classes.

A THREE-WAY tie for round honours will be broken in the final race of Round 2 of the Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge at the Phillip Island Grand Prix circuit.

A dramatic Saturday at the iconic Victorian circuit set up tomorrow’s decider that has Aaron Love, Harri Jones and Max Vidau tied on 108 points each after two of the rounds’ three races.

Starting from pole, Max Vidau won a wild race one after a three-way fight with Jones and Love – that saw each of the three drivers lead the race on the opening lap.

If that was the entrée then the main course delivered even more as another Jim Richards Endurance Trophy classic added a new winner to the list this year.

Love starred in the 26-lap race later in the afternoon in another pitched battle with Jones and Vidau that saw intense battling from start to finish.

Jones jumped from second on the grid to an early lead in the trophy race and then spent much of the first half defending attack after attack launched at his McElrea Porsche by race one winner Vidau.

After several attempted moves for the lead, the Sonic driver then survived a wild, high-speed off at turn four mid-race after he and Jones caught lapped traffic – Vidau dropping back to sixth position before slowly recovering through the field.

That left Jones defending from Love, who finally worked his way past on lap 18.

The 16-year-old then edged away in the closing laps to record a stunning victory, becoming the fourth different winner in the eight races contested so far this season.

Jones finished second and Vidau third – after a heady battle with Christian Pancione and Ryan Suhle – to set up the three-way tie for the round results ahead of tomorrow’s finale.

Love, the younger brother of Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia title contender Jordan, was thrilled to record his maiden victory in the series after graduating from open-wheel racing this year.

“It can’t get much better than that,” he said. “I was nice and consistent and tried to let the race come to us at the start.

“We were on the back of Harri and it was a long fought battle from there. I ended up getting past him at turn two and I was really proud of that. I tried really hard for that. After that it was keeping my eyes forward – being calm with no mistakes.

“It will be a really good race tomorrow with the three of us close together on points. It will be all out tomorrow to see who comes out on top so we’ll see how it goes.”

Pancione finished fourth – just behind Vidau – while Suhle was also in the mix en-route to fifth place.

With Cameron Crick sixth, Brett Boulton came from the back of the field to win TAG Heuer Pro-Am and claim maximum points in the Jim Richards Endurance Trophy class fight.

The McElrea driver had started from the back of the field after failing to finish race one due to damage from an altercation on the opening lap (for which he was penalised), but charged through the field – and survived a spin at turn 12 – to take the class.

Love finished third in the earlier sprint race, won by Vidau after a pitched battle with Jones at the front of the field in the eight-lap dash.

Suhle and Pancione completed the top five, while Shane Barwood scored his first TAG Heuer Pro-Am victory of the season after title contenders Brett Boulton and Sam Shahin made contact at turn two – both spinning.

Andrew Goldie won both races in Class B to further close the margin to Class B leader David Grieg.

The final race of Round 3 commences at 9:10am on Sunday morning and will be streamed live via the GT3 Cup Challenge website and Shannons Nationals social media accounts.

Championship Standings – After Race 2, Round 3

Harri Jones 426

Max Vidau 374

Aaron Love 362

Ryan Suhle 324

Christian Pancione 274

Sam Shahin 249

Tom Taplin 227

Cameron Crick 212

Ross McGregor 172

Brett Boulton 156

Race 1 Results

Pos

Car

Driver

CL Lap

Laps

Race Time

Fastest Lap

1

77

Max Vidau (SA)

Pro

8

15:11.3481

1:31.9865*

2

12

Harri Jones (Qld)

Pro

8

15:11.8408

1:32.1421

3

78

Aaron Love (WA)

Pro

8

15:12.8496

1:32.2306

4

7

Ryan Suhle (Qld)

Pro

8

15:14.4269

1:32.5262

5

76

Christian Pancione (Vic)

Pro

8

15:14.8536

1:32.4293

6

777

Cameron Crick (ACT)

Pro

8

15:16.1264

1:32.8550

7

21

Shane Barwood (Vic)

TAG Heuer Pro-Am

8

15:25.2874

1:35.2665

8

99

Ross McGregor (Vic)

TAG Heuer Pro-Am

8

15:25.6853

1:35.4064

9

22

Andrew Goldie (WA)

Class B

8

15:31.0965

1:36.2604

10

26

Tom Taplin (SA)

Pro

8

15:32.4895

1:34.6234

11

131

Graham Williams (Vic)

TAG Heuer Pro-Am

8

15:35.7675

1:36.1317

12

73

Michael Hovey (Qld)

TAG Heuer Pro-Am

8

15:36.5960

1:36.3625

13

87

David Greig (Vic)

Class B

8

15:43.1955

1:39.1409

14

29

Rob Woods (NSW)

TAG Heuer Pro-Am

8

15:50.6337

1:39.1749

15

3

Jonathan Gliksten (Vic)

TAG Heuer Pro-Am

8

15:53.5661

1:40.2667

16

5

Nathan Murray (Vic)

Class B

8

15:58.5206

1:42.3395

17

14

Matt Belford (Vic)

TAG Heuer Pro-Am

8

16:08.2349

1:39.6331

18

13

Sam Shahin (SA)

TAG Heuer Pro-Am

8

16:10.6023

1:36.6188

19

9

Tony Martin (Qld)

Class B

8

16:16.3375

1:38.6567

20

93

Marty Ewer (SA)

TAG Heuer Pro-Am

8

16:20.3163

1:40.4964

DNF

84

Brett Boulton (Qld)

TAG Heuer Pro-Am

Race 2 Results

Position

Car

Driver

Class

Laps

Race Time

Fastest Lap

1

78

Aaron Love (WA)

Pro

26

42:20.4106

1:32.1617*

2

12

Harri Jones (Qld)

Pro

26

42:21.5577

1:32.4175

3

77

Max Vidau (SA)

Pro

26

42:33.3337

1:32.3597

4

76

Christian Pancione (Vic)

Pro

26

42:33.5610

1:32.7454

5

7

Ryan Suhle (Qld)

Pro

26

42:33.9336

1:32.7379

6

777

Cameron Crick (ACT)

Pro

26

42:37.0944

1:33.0446

7

84

Brett Boulton (Qld)

TAG Heuer Pro-Am

26

42:48.3452

1:34.3046

8

26

Tom Taplin (SA)

PRO

26

42:52.5446

1:33.6636

9

13

Sam Shahin (SA)

TAG Heuer Pro-Am

26

42:58.5660

1:34.4205

10

99

Ross McGregor (Vic)

TAG Heuer Pro-Am

26

43:01.1165

1:35.4363

11

73

Michael Hovey (Qld)

TAG Heuer Pro-Am

26

43:02.3686

1:35.6442

12

21

Shane Barwood (Vic)

TAG Heuer Pro-Am

26

43:27.9874

1:36.0455

13

22

Andrew Goldie (WA)

Class B

26

43:28.4191

1:35.9862

14

29

Rob Woods (NSW)

TAG Heuer Pro-Am

26

43:32.0685

1:36.6494

15

131

Graham Williams (Vic)

TAG Heuer Pro-Am

26

43:32.2741

1:36.4886

16

87

David Greig (Vic)

Class B

26

43:40.1594

1:37.5353

17

9

Tony Martin (Qld)

Class B

26

43:46.6991

1:37.6034

18

3

Jonathan Gliksten (Vic)

TAG Heuer Pro-Am

25

43:45.3067

1:37.5999

19

14

Matt Belford (Vic)

TAG Heuer Pro-Am

24

43:20.0457

1:37.9907

DNF

93

Marty Ewer (SA)

TAG Heuer Pro-Am

19

37:16.1519

1:40.1950

DNF

5

Nathan Murray (Vic)

Class B

9

15:30.4352

1:41.1599

Sunday, 9 June

9:10–9:30am: Race 3

TV Broadcast details

Qualifying and all three races will be streamed live via www.thenationals.com.au

Jones takes victory in the final race of Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge in QR

Harri Jones extends Championship lead with victory in Race 3

Jones takes victory in the final race of Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge in QR

Harri Jones takes victory in the final race of Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge in QR

As a blanket of early fog lifted from the Queensland Raceway on Sunday morning, all eyes were on the front row-pairing Harri Jones and Christian Pancione for the final race of Round 4 of the Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge.

The pair had traded blows the whole weekend and with championship rival, Max Vidau starting from the back of the field, Jones would be looking to extend his lead overall. Pancione, by contrast, would be hungrier than ever for his first win in Porsche GT3 Cup Car – having finished behind Jones in third and second respectively for the weekends’ first races.

Race 3 literally started with a bang near the back of the TAG Heuer Pro-Am class, with Matt Belford and Graham Williams coming together off the start line. Belford’s car would pivot into the newly-reinforced Queensland Raceway pit wall, while Williams’ car would limp on to the outside of Turn 1.

With both cars stranded, a lengthy safety car period ensued. Jones backed up the field before the restart as he had done successfully in Race 2 and was closely followed by Pancione, Aaron Love, Ryan Suhle and Tom Taplin.

Sam Shahin had got the jump on Brett Boulton in the TAG Heuer Pro-Am class after the Race 2 winner struggled off the start. Andrew Goldie and David Greig meanwhile, resumed where they had left off and continued their weekend-long tussle in Class B.

The safety car period removed any concerns the drivers might have had regards tyre conservation for Race 3 and it would be an intense finish to the line.

Jones executed the perfect restart as the cars emerged onto the pit straight with 7 laps remaining. Pancione slotted into second but challenged Jones for the lead down the back straight.

Jones took a defensive line into Turn 2 and retained his slight advantage, while McElrea teammate, Ryan Suhle was held up behind Aaron Love in the battle for third.

Suhle had better tyres and race pace than Love, causing the Bob Jane T-Marts driver to defend aggressively for a number of laps. Suhle eventually lost patience and dove up the inside of the left-handed turn 3 in the dying laps.

The contact relegated Love to fifth behind Sonic Racing teammate Max Vidau, who had made an impressive recovery from the back of the grid. After the race, the stewards would hand down a 15sec post-race penalty to Suhle, dropping the McElrea Racing driver to 11th in the final classification.

Jones would hold off Pancione for the race (and round) win, while Sam Shahin and Goldie would take line honours in their respective classes.

After the race, Jones thanked his team and sponsors, “It’s been an awesome weekend, with two victories, a second and the round win, all in front of my support team and Heli Mods sponsors. The car was unreal and I can’t thank McElrea Racing team enough.”

“Taking the series’ 200th race yesterday afternoon, was one of the best races of my life and my season so far. With such a long race, it was probably one of the biggest challenges for myself and the team, as it’s easy to produce a car that’s quick in the first 10 laps, but producing a car that’s quick over 30 laps is just awesome.”

The Queenslander extends his lead in the overall Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge Championship, as the teams now head south for Round 5 at Sandown Raceway on the 20-22 September

The battle at the sharp end of the Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge field has never been tighter between the categories leading teams and drivers, with lap times thus far being the fastest ever recorded at the Queensland Raceway for this generation Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car.

While McElrea Racing drivers Harri Jones and Ryan Suhle topped the Friday practice sessions, it was the turn of Christian Pancione from Ashley Seward Motorsport (ASM) to set the pace in qualifying on Saturday morning.

After a strong performance behind the McElrea pairing the previous day, Pancione set the early pace in Saturday’s qualifying and gradually got quicker through the morning session. After the trio of leading Michelin Juniors all pitted for fresh tyres with 5 minutes remaining, Pancione would emerge to post the fastest time of the weekend, narrowly edging out Ryan Suhle for pole position by a mere 0.040secs. Harri Jones and Max Vidau meanwhile would qualify in third and fourth respectively.

After the session, Pancione credited the pole position to the work of his ASM team, “Overnight the team and I went through the data and we saw where I could improve. The team did an amazing job with the car and I can’t thank the ASM guys enough.”

After a disappointing Phillip Island Round, Pancione also underwent development work with Paul Morris at his Norwell Motorplex in Queensland and together with the ASM team, looks to have found some good form at the mid-point of the 2019 season.

Brett Boulton would continue to set the pace in TAG Heuer Pro-Am class, as he had done all weekend, taking pole position ahead of Sam Shahin and Michael Hovey. Andrew Goldie would continue his season-long tussle with David Greig in Class B, out-qualifying the Victorian by just under 0.4secs.

The West Australian also credited the ASM team to his improved performance this season, “The biggest difference from last year, is that this year we are running with Ash Seward Motorsport. As privateers, we didn’t have access to data previously, but the coaching and assistance I’ve received from Ash this year, has really made all the difference with me going faster.”

But as the red lights went out for the start of Race 1, so too did the hopes of the ASM teammates. Both Pancione and Suhle got jumped off the line by the Bob Jane T-Marts entry of Max Vidau. The Sonic Racing driver drove from fourth to first around the outside of Turn 1, with Harri Jones slotting into second and Pancione into third.

Under braking for Turn 3 Ryan Suhle was squeezed to the outside and made contact back of Pancione. The incident bent the young Queenslander’s steering rack and forced him into early retirement, unravelling all the hard work he had put in the previous day.

At the front of the field, Vidau was making the best job of leading pack on his Michelin tyres, and the leading trio soon pulled a 4.5sec gap on Cameron Crick in P4.

Tony Martin would then spin under breaking into the final corner. The resultant safety car would see Vidau, Jones and Pancione lose the advantage they had built up to the chasing field.

After the restart, the leading trio again looked to escape the pack, but on this occasion, Crick kept pace holding onto a strong fourth. Brett Boulton meanwhile, led the TAG Heuer Pro-Am battle in fifth. He was chased by Sam Shahin for most of the race, until contact with Tom Taplin with 6 laps remaining, saw Shahin retire with a puncture.

The last three laps were a masterclass performance by the leading Pro trio demonstrating hard, but fair racing. Vidau defended his lead from Jones who in turn came under intense pressure from Pancione. After some doorhandle-to-doorhandle passes and tit-for-tat exchanges, it was Jones that would cross the line second behind Vidau.

After the race, an ecstatic Vidau remarked, “Our cold tyre pace was great in the beginning, but that unfortunately hindered us at the end of the race as I killed the rear tyres. That meant I had to block very aggressively at the end, but I was happy to hold on for the race win.”

The final session of the day marked not only the 33 lap Jim Richards Endurance Trophy race for the 4th round but also the 200th race milestone in Porsche Michelin GT# Cup Challenge history.

Vidau started in the same fashion that he finished the first, narrowly edging out Harri Jones for the lead into turn 1, but Jones undercut the Sonic driver to take inside line onto the back straight and head the field on the opening lap.

After his dramas in the Race 1, Ryan Suhle would start from the back of the 19-car grid, but soon pass six cars on the opening lap on his way through the field. By lap 10, a slight gap had emerged between the leading trio of Jones, Vidau and Pancione to the chasing pack. But a lapse in concentration exiting the ‘paperclips’ left-hand turn 3, would see Jones run wide and offer Vidau the opportunity to take the lead.

Further back in the Class B battle, Andrew Goldie would overtake David Greig for the lead and proceed to extend his advantage to the line. Brett Boulton would continue to dominate the TAG Heuer Pro-Am class pulling out a 6 sec advantage over Sam Shahin.

At the sharp end of the field, Vidau had controlled the pace for two-thirds of the race, until suddenly starting to slow on lap 21. Vidau’s mechanical issues caused Jones to take evasive action and hand the lead to Pancione. Vidau’s retirement dealt a devastating blow to the young South Australian and his Bob Jane T-Marts team.

Jones would then retake the lead from Pancione with a gutsy move around the outside of Turn 1, while teammate Ryan Suhle had made his way through the field to fifth. After a safety car in the dying laps bunched the field once more, it was all to play for with 5 laps remaining.

The restart would allow Suhle the opportunity to get passed Crick for fourth and pass Aaron Love around the outside turn 3 for third, mark an amazing recovery drive from the back of the field.

Jones would hold off Pancione in the last laps to take the historic 200th Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge race win and further extend his lead in the Championship. The battle resumes on Sunday morning for the final race of the weekend.

McElrea drivers set the early pace in Practice 1 and 2 of Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge

Jones and Suhle leverage home advantage in Queensland Practice

McElrea drivers set the early pace in Practice 1 and 2 of Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge

McElrea drivers set the early pace in Practice 1 and 2 of Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge

Clear, sunny conditions welcomed the Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge teams and competitors to Round 4 of the 2019 Championship at the Queensland Raceway in Ipswich on Friday.

McElrea Racing teammates, Harri Jones and Ryan Suhle put their hometown advantage to good use, taking turns to top the timesheets in the Pro Class in the day’s practice session. Jones grabbed a last-minute advantage over Suhle in the dying moments of the morning session, with Christian Pancione and Phillip Island round winner, Jordan Love also showing good pace throughout the session in third and fourth respectively.

Jones and Suhle are both Queensland based and are thriving under the experience of the McElrea team, whose resume of developing future stars has included the likes of Matt Campbell, Jaxon Evans and Cooper Murray in recent years.

In the TAG Heuer Pro-Am class, Scott Taylor set the early pace in Practice 1 but was soon demoted down the order by first Sam Shahin and then Brett Boulton, while Andrew Goldie was unchallenged in Class B.

After the day’s first session Jones remarked, “It’s been a good start to the weekend, we struggled on the first set of tyres, the Supercars rubber that went down last week has changed the track a fair bit, but we made a few tweaks and finished off P1.”

“I love Ipswich, it’s my home track and I’ve not only driven here for a few years but its where I started my racing career. It’s probably not the most exciting circuit in Australia, but definitely produces some exciting racing.”

Fellow McElrea teammate, Brett Boulton would also find his home town advantage beneficial despite the slippery conditions, “We were fortunate with this being our home track and to have had a test day here last weekend. While the track was slippery early on, I’m happy we could carry good momentum into this weekend.”

By the time the day’s second practice session commenced later in the afternoon, the sky was littered with rain threatening clouds but the session thankfully stayed dry allowing most teams to finalise their set up for the Saturday’s early qualifying.

After Jones again grabbed the early advantage in the second session, it was Max Vidau’s turn to join the party, bettering the 1m11.615 lap time Jones had posted in the morning session by a full tenth.

But as the session wore on, the times continued to fall with Pancione being the first to drop under the 1m11:4 mark. Suhle, Pancione and Jones then all dropped into the 1m10.6 sec bracket in quick succession with 5 minutes remaining.

New sets of Michelin rubber for both Suhle and Jones, finally saw the McElrea teammates round out the session with the days’ quickest times. Suhle’s final 1m10.561 lap was over 0.4secs faster than the 4-year-old lap record previously held by Ryan Simpson in 2015.

Boulton and Goldie again proved the pick of their respective classes and look likely to repeat the feat going into tomorrow’s qualifying. Tomorrow’s two races, along with Sunday morning’s final sprint race will all be streamed live via the Shannons Nationals website.

As the primary feeder category for the Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia, the Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge provides a home to not only seasoned racing enthusiasts but future stars.

This weekend will mark the 200th race in the series history, a significant milestone for the category and the Australian motorsport landscape. Created as a series for Porsche enthusiasts – by Porsche enthusiasts – its catered for 991, 997 and 996 models that had previously raced in the Porsche Carrera cup Australia.

The first-ever race was held at Mallala Raceway on 28 May 2008. Graeme Cook won all three races from Sven Burchartz that weekend, with the latter going on to claim the inaugural 2008 championship.

Commenting on the 200 milestone for the series, Burchartz said, “I’m really proud to see how the category has evolved and flourished over last years. It’s found its true home now, as an integral step within the Porsche Motorsport pyramid.”

The series would extend from 4 races to 6 for 2009, with Matt Kingsley taking the 996 class and outright championship ahead of Burchartz, while Roger Lago would become the first 997 class champion. The 997 cars were permitted to run with the series one year earlier than expected, as Carrera Cup went on hiatus for 2009 and 2010 seasons.

These 997 cars raced for points in their own class but were not awarded outright points, and thus, were not credited with outright race wins, poles or podiums in the record books. Burchartz along with John Trend and Jodi Zylstra were all instrumental to the creation of the series in 2008.

Zylstra explains how the category first came about, “GT3 Cup Challenge started as there was a need for drivers at the time – who didn’t want to race in the Australian GT Championship – to establish their own category as many of the Porsches were already eligible, as well as others that could be accommodated within the class under the technical regulations. Sven (Burchartz) and Jon Trende approached Porsche Cars Australia in December 2007 and immediately got the support from Jamey Blaikie and Michael Winkler.”

After the foundation was laid, Zylstra – who was Operations Manager for Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge at the time – was approached by Porsche Cars Australia to oversee the running of both categories, when Porsche Carrera Cup Australia was reintroduced in 2011

There were no real issues or obstacles in those early years recalls Zylstra, as Trend and Burchartz infused a mantra among competitors of ‘Race with your mates.’ Basically, anyone who had a Porsche and wanted to race, could come away and compete with series for the weekend.

“We always tried to keep the competitor costs down and at the time, it was as much about the comradery among the drivers, as it was about the action on the track. There was always a lot of laughs and fun on Friday and Saturday nights. None of the guys took themselves too seriously in those days, but of course, all that changed as soon as they got on the track the next morning.”

This sense of community prevails in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge paddock until today, although the make-up of the grid has evolved. While still providing a home for the enthusiasts of the German marque, in recent years Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge has become the country’s most proven launchpad for talented youngsters to climb the Porsche Motorsport pyramid.

The series has witnessed many of today’s top-level drivers cut their teeth in national competition, giving rise to the likes of Matt Campbell, Jaxon Evans, Fraser Ross, Roger Lago, Michael Almond, Brenton Grove, Dylan O’Keeffe and Tony Quinn, to name but a few.

Since 2008 there have been 67 rounds of the series and a total of 199 individual races held at those rounds. Of these 199 races, only two have been declared as ‘no results’. The first was in 2008 at Phillip Island, when Race 3 was cancelled after a barrier was damaged on the warm-up lap, with the resultant repairs forcing the cancellation of the race.

2009 at Eastern Creek, Race 2 was also declared a ‘no result’ after a multi-car accident on the opening lap caused a Safety Car and ultimately a red flag with the race declared.

As both races had started (a warm-up lap is considered a start under CAMS NCRs) the record books reflect that Queensland Raceway will host the 200th race this weekend, a huge milestone in the category’s history.

The records also reflect that Matt Kingsley holds the record for the most pole positions (9); the most round wins (8) and the most race wins (24) in the series history. While Jeff Bobik holds the record for the most outright podium finishes (13) and John Goodacre the record for the most round starts (34)

Qualifying and all the Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge races from Queensland Race this weekend will be streamed live via www.thenationals.com.au website

Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge teams head to Queensland for Round 4 of the 2019 Championship

Harri Jones leads Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge battle into QR

Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge teams head to Queensland for Round 4 of the 2019 Championship

Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge teams head to Queensland for Round 4 of the 2019 Championship

Forty kilometres south-west of the Brisbane CBD lies the City of Ipswich, a historic mining settlement founded in 1827. Along with the city’s more than 6000 heritage-listed sites and 500 parklands, many of its 200 000 residents are ardent motorsport fans and huge supporters of the local race track, the Queensland Raceway.

The 3.12km circuit – dubbed the ‘paperclip’ for its unusual layout of four right and 2 left-hand turns – plays host to Round 4 of the 2019 Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge Championship this weekend, the premium one-make category of the Shannons Nationals series.

The Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge Championship has always been a feeder category for the Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia, catering for both experienced Porsche enthusiasts as well as up-and-coming stars of the future.

This weekend, Race 2 will mark the 200th race in the series history, a significant milestone for the category and the Australian motorsport landscape. The first-ever race was held at Mallala Raceway on 28 May 2008. Greame Cook won all three races from Sven Burchchartz that weekend, with the latter going on to claim the inaugural 2008 championship.

From 2008 to 2018 there have been 67 rounds of the Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge Australia series and of these 199 individual races, only three have been declared ‘no races’.

Over its history, the series has witnessed many drivers cut their teeth in top-level national racing and given rise to the likes of Matt Campbell, Jaxon Evans, Fraser Ross, Roger Lago, Michael Almond, Brenton Grove, Dylan O’Keefe and Tony Quinn.

The category is also the launchpad for talented youngsters to climb the Porsche Motorsport pyramid. After successful campaigns in Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge, Jordan Love and Cooper Murray have looked to emulate Campbell and Evans’ progression up the ladder thanks to dominant performances in the Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia season thus far.

Love’s brother Aaron, was the pick of the Michelin Junior contenders in Round 3 of the Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge Championship in Phillip Island. But with three different winners from three different rounds this season, anyone can take line honours in Queensland, with all seven Michelin Junior drivers occupying the first eight positions in the overall standings.

Harri Jones’ pace and consistency through every round sees him head the Championship into Queeensland with a 58 point lead over Max Vidau and Aaron Love. The Sonic Motor racing teammates are tied for second position with Ryan Suhle and Christian Pancione fourth and fifth, respectively.

Sam Shahin continues to lead TAG Heuer Pro-Am class, although his earlier comfortable margin has been reduced to 42 points with Ross McGregor in second and ever-improving Brett Boulton in third.

David Grieg retains the lead Class B however his margin too was reduced last time out, thanks to Andrew Godie’s clean sweep at Phillip Island.

The Ipswich round will also see the Jim Richards Endurance Trophy decided across all four classes. After a pair of practice sessions on Friday, qualifying and two races will be held on a busy Saturday – the second race the longer, Jim Richards Endurance Trophy affair.

A final sprint race completes the round on Sunday morning with all three to be streamed live via the Shannons Nationals website.

The 500+hp Porsche 911 GT3 R fielded by Rowe Racing (#998) rounded off the one-two victory of the Porsche teams at the marathon in the Ardennes. Five of the six Pro-cars from Porsche finished the 71st running of the 24 Hours of Spa in the top ten.

Right from the start, the rain played the leading role at the 24-hour classic in Belgium. In the early hours of Sunday morning, the race had to be stopped for almost six hours due to heavy downpours. But even this interruption couldn’t end the victorious drive of the number 20 Porsche 911 GT3 R. The crew with Estre, Christensen, and Lietz, which had been relegated down the field by a drive-through penalty in the evening, put in an impressive charge through the field.

When the race was halted, the driver trio had made it back to eighth place with a series of flawless and constantly fast stints and made up more positions after the race was restarted. With two hours to go, the GT3 R driven by Kévin Estre took the lead, which the Frenchman held driving the slick-shod car on a damp track surface. After nine years, it was time to celebrate again for Porsche at the prestigious endurance classic in the Ardennes.

The Rowe Racing #998 Porsche 911 GT3 R also had a race of mixed fortunes on the 7.004 kilometre storied circuit. Patrick Pilet (France), Frédéric Makowiecki (France) and Nick Tandy (Great Britain) also lost many places due to a drive-through penalty and caught up to the frontrunners in the night with a strong performance in the rain. During the closing stages of the race, rain specialist Tandy conquered second place with several skilful overtaking manoeuvres to secure the one-two win for Porsche.

Scoring three more top ten placings, the Porsche customer teams crowned their strong and unified showing at the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. The #98 and #99 Porsche 911 GT3 R fielded by Rowe Racing finished fifth and seventh. KÜS Team75 Bernhard brought its identical #117 911 GT3 R home in ninth place.

Fritz Enzinger, Vice President Porsche Motorsport: “Congratulations to our customer teams at Spa. The effort of the engineers, strategists, the pit crews, and the drivers impressed me deeply. They all co-operated with our support crew from Weissach in the best possible way. We’ve scored this victory together. And the Porsche 911 again proved to be the car to beat at sportscar races.”

248 drivers took up the 24 hour classic at Spa-Francorchamps in 72 cars. Eleven marques were represented at the 71st running of the Ardennes marathon, which is also Round 3 of the 2019 Intercontinental GT Challenge. Porsche also won the opening round of the 2019 IGTC at the Bathurst 12 Hour in February.

A long-term exponent of the famous German marque, Tresidder was competing in the race with team Porsche Carrera Cup Asia – eventually finishing second in Class B and 19th outright.

As the race built towards its thrilling climax, the Sydney resident was watching from his own pit garage as Matt Campbell hauled the Earl Bamber Motorsport-prepared car through the international field. Following the Bathurst triumph, the car was flown to Germany and placed on display in the Porsche museum.

However, Tresidder’s purchase of the 911 GT3-R from Porsche Motorsport last month, means the car will ultimately return to Australia.

“I was there in our pits watching the last hour of the race unfold. Whilst all three drivers contributed to the end result, for me the stand out drive of the day was Matt Campbell with three overtaking moves in the last hour of the race, the best I have ever seen,” Tresidder explained.

“I was also competing in the same race with the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia team, so there are great memories associated with this epic win. As an Australian, I wanted to bring the car back home.”

Tresidder was presented the car last month in the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart, with Campbell on hand to ‘hand over the keys’ to the car. Despite his long relationship with the Porsche brand, Tresidder said he initially didn’t think he would be able to purchase the black GT3R, which features the iconic Silver Fern along its flanks.

“I thought I wouldn’t stand a chance of being able to secure the car, having won the 12-Hour,” he explained.

“However after the race I caught up with Alex Gibot (Head of Porsche Motorsport in the Asia-Pacific region) and told him I would like to buy it. Alex knows my history with Porsche Carrera Cup Asia and my love of Porsche, plus the car would be coming home to Australia and properly looked after.

“Alex started the process by contacting Porsche in Stuttgart and got the ball rolling, and fortunately we were successful.”

Currently still in Germany, the 911 GT3-R will begin a long journey home later this year via a stop at the Porsche Sports Cup China in October – a significant event in the region which will also feature several Porsche Museum cars on show on and off the track.

After driving the car for the first time in Shanghai, the car will return to Australia where Tresidder plans to race it as it was designed.

“I will race it lightly, probably the first event will be Bathurst at Easter 2020,” he confirmed.

“The now-famous livery will also stay, the only change will be to wipe off the sticky remains of Matt’s Champagne!”

With multiple starts to his credit in the Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour, Tresidder says the 12-Hour is well established as one of the world’s great races and the victory for Porsche had great significance for the brand and for him personally.

“This was Earl Bamber Motorsport’s first attempt running two factory cars and for him and his team to get a first time victory – and a first victory for Porsche – it doesn’t get much better.”

Bamber and Campbell, along with their Porsche GT team mates, will defend their 24-point lead in the Manufacturers standings of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in Lime Rock (USA) this weekend.

The race over 2:40 hours takes off on Saturday, 20 July and can be viewed live outside the USA and Canada on www.imsa.com.

TEENAGER Aaron Love has become the third winner from three rounds in the Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge Australia, sweeping to victory at the Phillip Island Grand Prix circuit in Victoria.

In a winner-take-all finale, Love entered the final race of the weekend tied on points with teammate Max Vidau and Championship leader Harri Jones, but won the start and fended off his rivals in a stunning 11-lap sprint to score his second race win of the year – and take the round overall.

Harri Jones finished second overall to extend his title lead, while Max Vidau completed the podium.

Brett Boulton won TAG Heuer Pro-Am in race three, while Shane Barwood won a highly competitive round in the Pro-Am class. Andrew Goldie swept all three races to win Class B.

Love, however, was the star as he won the start and fended off Jones and Vidau before gradually pulling away from the battle for second, ultimately recording a three-second victory aboard his Sonic Motor Racing Porsche.

His results mirror the efforts of older brother Jordan, who won the Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia round at Phillip Island earlier this year.

As such, the Love brothers now each sit second in their respective championship standings heading into the second half of the year with Aaron now right in contention for the GT3 Cup Challenge title.

“A lot of hard work goes in to it. There’s something about this track and (brother, Jordan) and I that mix with this track really well,” Love said.

“I’m absolutely stoked, thanks to the Sonic boys this weekend. The team pushed me along though the last few races which has really helped and it’s great to come away with the win. It was a close fought battle between each of us this weekend in every race and that makes it even sweeter to come away with the round victory.

“It looks really good in the championship now and we will be pushing harder than ever for the championship coming into the second half of the season.”

The race was yet another thriller and while Love found himself with a margin late in the race, the battle behind was furious.

Jones and Vidau battled for the duration with the pair side-by-side on multiple occasions. The fight for second became a three-way battle late in the race when Ryan Suhle joined the fun, after he diced with Christian Pancione earlier on.

Tom Taplin charged to sixth place while Brett Boulton was seventh and first in TAG Heuer Pro-Am.

He and class leader Sam Shahin battled early in the race however the latter was forced out when his car stopped with damage at turn eleven at half-race distance.

Cameron Crick, Michael Hovey and Shane Barwood completed the top-10. Barwood sealed the TAG Heuer Pro-Am round victory thanks to a trio of consistent results as all three of the title contenders had issues throughout the weekend.

While Boulton and Shahin each had non-finishes this weekend, Ross McGregor was pinged five seconds for a start line infringement in the final race – costing him positions.

Michael Hovey finished second in class at Phillip Island while McGregor completed the podium.

Goldie won class B over Grieg and Tony Martin.

After the first three rounds, Harri Jones now leads the standings by 58 points as the series heads into a winter break, prior to the next round at Queensland Raceway in late July.

Vidau and Love are now tied for second position with Ryan Suhle and Christian Pancione fourth and fifth, respectively.

Sam Shahin continues to lead TAG Heuer Pro-Am, though his earlier comfortable margin has been reduced to 42 points. Ross McGregor remains second in class with Brett Boulton closing on each of them in third.

David Grieg retains the lead Class B however his margin has been reduced thanks to Andrew Godie’s clean sweep at Phillip Island.

After a busy start to the season, the Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge field takes a well-earned break prior to the second half of the season commencing at Queensland Raceway on August 2-4.

The Ipswich round will also see the Jim Richards Endurance Trophy decided across all four classes.

A THREE-WAY tie for round honours will be broken in the final race of Round 2 of the Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge at the Phillip Island Grand Prix circuit.

A dramatic Saturday at the iconic Victorian circuit set up tomorrow’s decider that has Aaron Love, Harri Jones and Max Vidau tied on 108 points each after two of the rounds’ three races.

Starting from pole, Max Vidau won a wild race one after a three-way fight with Jones and Love – that saw each of the three drivers lead the race on the opening lap.

If that was the entrée then the main course delivered even more as another Jim Richards Endurance Trophy classic added a new winner to the list this year.

Love starred in the 26-lap race later in the afternoon in another pitched battle with Jones and Vidau that saw intense battling from start to finish.

Jones jumped from second on the grid to an early lead in the trophy race and then spent much of the first half defending attack after attack launched at his McElrea Porsche by race one winner Vidau.

After several attempted moves for the lead, the Sonic driver then survived a wild, high-speed off at turn four mid-race after he and Jones caught lapped traffic – Vidau dropping back to sixth position before slowly recovering through the field.

That left Jones defending from Love, who finally worked his way past on lap 18.

The 16-year-old then edged away in the closing laps to record a stunning victory, becoming the fourth different winner in the eight races contested so far this season.

Jones finished second and Vidau third – after a heady battle with Christian Pancione and Ryan Suhle – to set up the three-way tie for the round results ahead of tomorrow’s finale.

Love, the younger brother of Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia title contender Jordan, was thrilled to record his maiden victory in the series after graduating from open-wheel racing this year.

“It can’t get much better than that,” he said. “I was nice and consistent and tried to let the race come to us at the start.

“We were on the back of Harri and it was a long fought battle from there. I ended up getting past him at turn two and I was really proud of that. I tried really hard for that. After that it was keeping my eyes forward – being calm with no mistakes.

“It will be a really good race tomorrow with the three of us close together on points. It will be all out tomorrow to see who comes out on top so we’ll see how it goes.”

Pancione finished fourth – just behind Vidau – while Suhle was also in the mix en-route to fifth place.

With Cameron Crick sixth, Brett Boulton came from the back of the field to win TAG Heuer Pro-Am and claim maximum points in the Jim Richards Endurance Trophy class fight.

The McElrea driver had started from the back of the field after failing to finish race one due to damage from an altercation on the opening lap (for which he was penalised), but charged through the field – and survived a spin at turn 12 – to take the class.

Love finished third in the earlier sprint race, won by Vidau after a pitched battle with Jones at the front of the field in the eight-lap dash.

Suhle and Pancione completed the top five, while Shane Barwood scored his first TAG Heuer Pro-Am victory of the season after title contenders Brett Boulton and Sam Shahin made contact at turn two – both spinning.

Andrew Goldie won both races in Class B to further close the margin to Class B leader David Grieg.

The final race of Round 3 commences at 9:10am on Sunday morning and will be streamed live via the GT3 Cup Challenge website and Shannons Nationals social media accounts.

Championship Standings – After Race 2, Round 3

Harri Jones 426

Max Vidau 374

Aaron Love 362

Ryan Suhle 324

Christian Pancione 274

Sam Shahin 249

Tom Taplin 227

Cameron Crick 212

Ross McGregor 172

Brett Boulton 156

Race 1 Results

Pos

Car

Driver

CL Lap

Laps

Race Time

Fastest Lap

1

77

Max Vidau (SA)

Pro

8

15:11.3481

1:31.9865*

2

12

Harri Jones (Qld)

Pro

8

15:11.8408

1:32.1421

3

78

Aaron Love (WA)

Pro

8

15:12.8496

1:32.2306

4

7

Ryan Suhle (Qld)

Pro

8

15:14.4269

1:32.5262

5

76

Christian Pancione (Vic)

Pro

8

15:14.8536

1:32.4293

6

777

Cameron Crick (ACT)

Pro

8

15:16.1264

1:32.8550

7

21

Shane Barwood (Vic)

TAG Heuer Pro-Am

8

15:25.2874

1:35.2665

8

99

Ross McGregor (Vic)

TAG Heuer Pro-Am

8

15:25.6853

1:35.4064

9

22

Andrew Goldie (WA)

Class B

8

15:31.0965

1:36.2604

10

26

Tom Taplin (SA)

Pro

8

15:32.4895

1:34.6234

11

131

Graham Williams (Vic)

TAG Heuer Pro-Am

8

15:35.7675

1:36.1317

12

73

Michael Hovey (Qld)

TAG Heuer Pro-Am

8

15:36.5960

1:36.3625

13

87

David Greig (Vic)

Class B

8

15:43.1955

1:39.1409

14

29

Rob Woods (NSW)

TAG Heuer Pro-Am

8

15:50.6337

1:39.1749

15

3

Jonathan Gliksten (Vic)

TAG Heuer Pro-Am

8

15:53.5661

1:40.2667

16

5

Nathan Murray (Vic)

Class B

8

15:58.5206

1:42.3395

17

14

Matt Belford (Vic)

TAG Heuer Pro-Am

8

16:08.2349

1:39.6331

18

13

Sam Shahin (SA)

TAG Heuer Pro-Am

8

16:10.6023

1:36.6188

19

9

Tony Martin (Qld)

Class B

8

16:16.3375

1:38.6567

20

93

Marty Ewer (SA)

TAG Heuer Pro-Am

8

16:20.3163

1:40.4964

DNF

84

Brett Boulton (Qld)

TAG Heuer Pro-Am

Race 2 Results

Position

Car

Driver

Class

Laps

Race Time

Fastest Lap

1

78

Aaron Love (WA)

Pro

26

42:20.4106

1:32.1617*

2

12

Harri Jones (Qld)

Pro

26

42:21.5577

1:32.4175

3

77

Max Vidau (SA)

Pro

26

42:33.3337

1:32.3597

4

76

Christian Pancione (Vic)

Pro

26

42:33.5610

1:32.7454

5

7

Ryan Suhle (Qld)

Pro

26

42:33.9336

1:32.7379

6

777

Cameron Crick (ACT)

Pro

26

42:37.0944

1:33.0446

7

84

Brett Boulton (Qld)

TAG Heuer Pro-Am

26

42:48.3452

1:34.3046

8

26

Tom Taplin (SA)

PRO

26

42:52.5446

1:33.6636

9

13

Sam Shahin (SA)

TAG Heuer Pro-Am

26

42:58.5660

1:34.4205

10

99

Ross McGregor (Vic)

TAG Heuer Pro-Am

26

43:01.1165

1:35.4363

11

73

Michael Hovey (Qld)

TAG Heuer Pro-Am

26

43:02.3686

1:35.6442

12

21

Shane Barwood (Vic)

TAG Heuer Pro-Am

26

43:27.9874

1:36.0455

13

22

Andrew Goldie (WA)

Class B

26

43:28.4191

1:35.9862

14

29

Rob Woods (NSW)

TAG Heuer Pro-Am

26

43:32.0685

1:36.6494

15

131

Graham Williams (Vic)

TAG Heuer Pro-Am

26

43:32.2741

1:36.4886

16

87

David Greig (Vic)

Class B

26

43:40.1594

1:37.5353

17

9

Tony Martin (Qld)

Class B

26

43:46.6991

1:37.6034

18

3

Jonathan Gliksten (Vic)

TAG Heuer Pro-Am

25

43:45.3067

1:37.5999

19

14

Matt Belford (Vic)

TAG Heuer Pro-Am

24

43:20.0457

1:37.9907

DNF

93

Marty Ewer (SA)

TAG Heuer Pro-Am

19

37:16.1519

1:40.1950

DNF

5

Nathan Murray (Vic)

Class B

9

15:30.4352

1:41.1599

Sunday, 9 June

9:10–9:30am: Race 3

TV Broadcast details

Qualifying and all three races will be streamed live via www.thenationals.com.au

IF PRACTICE is anything to go by, the third round of the 2019 Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge Australia could be one of the closest on record.

Title leader Harri Jones headed the field in his Heli Mods McElrea Racing Porsche GT3 Cup Car, however his 1m32.0964s best set in the second of two 30-minute sessions was only fractionally quicker than his teammate Ryan Suhle and round one winner, Max Vidau.

Suhle was just 0.0128s behind his teammate, while Vidau’s Bob Jane T-Marts Sonic Motor Racing entry was only 0.05s from the fastest time of the day.

It sets the tone for a highly competitive weekend in a series that saw three winners from the three races last time out at Sydney Motorsport Park.

Vidau had topped the first session of the day and looked to do the same in the second session – setting quick sector times on his final flying lap though he was ultimately unable to jump the McElrea pair ahead.

A cloudy and overcast day turned to bright sunshine by the second session, resulting in quicker times in practice two.

Aaron Love was fourth fastest in the second Sonic Motor Racing entry while Sam Shahin completed the top five, and was also fastest in TAG Heuer Pro-Am.

Christian Pancione was sixth fastest on home turf with Cameron Crick in seventh.

Earlier, Vidau topped the first session by 0.2 seconds as the 21-strong field took to Phillip Island in cool and overcast conditions.

Jones and Love were next while Suhle completed the top four. Christian Pancione was fifth while Sam Shanin continued his excellent form by topping TAG Heuer Pro-Am in practice one.

Cameron Crick, Brett Boulton and an impressive Jonathan Glicksten – returning to the series this weekend – rounded out the top 10.

The Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge field will tackle three races this weekend at Phillip Island – two sprint races and the third instalment of the Jim Richards Endurance Trophy.

Qualifying, race one and race two – the endurance race – make up a busy Saturday program with the final race set for Sunday morning.

Harri Jones leads the 2019 championship thanks to his stunning victory – and misfortune for some of his nearest rivals – at Sydney Motorsport Park. Vidau, Love and Suhle each in close company for second, third and fourth respectively.

Set for another dramatic round of an already compelling 2019 series, the Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge battle will continue at the Phillip Island Grand Prix circuit this weekend (June 7-9).

The annual stop at the 4.46km circuit in Victoria comes after two different drivers from two different teams claimed victory in the opening pair of rounds this year.

While Sonic Motor Racing’s Max Vidau swept to all three victories at the Symmons Plains season opener, McElrea Racing’s Harri Jones returned serve in Sydney three weeks ago to leap to the championship lead as Vidau struck issues.

Jones jumped to the championship lead by winning the Jim Richards Enduro Championship race – his first of the year – at Sydney Motorsport Park.

Consistency has been key for the Porsche Michelin Junior driver; he’s the only driver in the series to finish inside the top three in every race to date.

“There’s a long way to go in the championship but it’s good to be in this position after round two,” Jones said following his Sydney success.

“I’m looking forward to getting to Phillip Island in the Porsche and driving that great circuit in one of these cars.”

Jones leads Round 1 winner Max Vidau by 52 points, the latter having won the first four races of the season before a clutch issue saw him sidelined at the start of the second race in Sydney.

Vidau recovered to eighth in the final race that weekend and now heads a highly competitive fight for second in the standings as the series approaches it’s half-way point.

In a weekend that featured three winners from three races, Suhle won his maiden Porsche race in Sydney before failing to finish the finale’ with similar mechanical issues to Vidau.

The leading foursome are not expected to have things their own way this weekend as their three rival Michelin Juniors and the leading TAG Heuer Pro-Am contenders also attempt to grab some Phillip Island success.

17-year-old Victorian Christian Pancione scored his best ever Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge result in Sydney, grabbing his first major trophy of the season by finishing third overall.

The reigning class B champion also won at Phillip Island twelve months ago and will be keen to continue that performance on home turf this weekend.

Cameron Crick scored a trio of consistent results in Sydney to finish fifth overall, while Tom Taplin continued his rapid improvement to record his best finish (fourth, in race two) of the season to date.

Meanwhile, TAG Heuer Pro-Am leader Sam Shahin will look to use his vast experience to continue to fight with the Professional class contenders this weekend.

Shahin finished fourth outright in Sydney and has won the first two rounds of the Pro-Am championship this season.

He finished second and third, respectively, in the first two Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup races held at Phillip Island in April this year before failing to finish the third race.

Shahin leads the consistent Ross McGregor by 96-points in the Pro-Am battle while Brett Boulton now sits third.

The Queenslander won his first race of the season in Sydney’s Jim Richards Enduro Trophy thriller, overhauling Shahin on fresher rubber late in the race.

Much with their Professional class rivals, the battle for second, third and fourth in TAG Heuer Pro-Am is particularly close with just 25 points covering McGregor, Boulton and fourth-placed Sergio Pires.

Just 24 points cover class B leader David Grieg and Andrew Goldie in their title fight, Tony Martin a further 30 points further behind.

The Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge last visited Phillip Island in June last year.

After taking pole by just 0.08s, Cooper Murray completed a perfect weekend by going on to win all three races in style.

Having qualified second, Max Vidau failed to finish race one however recovered strongly to finish the final race on Murray’s tail.

HARRI JONES now leads the Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge Australia series after sweeping to his first victory of the season, winning the Jim Richards Endurance Trophy race today at Sydney Motorsport Park.

The McElrea Racing driver became the third winner from three races and won the Sydney round overall while Brett Boulton took the TAG Heuer Pro-Am honours in the race: Sam Shahin winning the round.

The 25-lap race was a typically dramatic affair with Jones in contention from the outset.

His teammate Ryan Suhle – who won race two on Saturday afternoon – broke a clutch at the start of the race and was left stranded, in a similar fashion to Max Vidau on Saturday.

Once in front, Jones extended an early buffer but then had to fend off a charging Aaron Love in the closing stages.

Love had started 10th however quickly worked his way through the field to sit second by lap 15.

He, and third-placed Christian Pancione, chased down the leader however ultimately finished just behind Jones in a tight finish between the top three.

Having now finished first, second or third in each of the six races held so far, Jones said he was proud of his progress throughout the season to date.

“We have had a lot of work done since Tasmania so our focus was on our starts so I’m stoked to come away with three good results and the podium,” the 19-year-old said.

“The guys at McElrea gave me an excellent car and I’m stoked to come away with the win.

“I had the cool suit in for that last race and it helped a lot. I’ve done a little bit of endurance racing so I think trying to keep the energy going through the race was important and I felt like I drove really well.

“There’s a long way to go yet but it’s good to be in this position after round two.”

Jones won the round overall and now also leads the Jim Richards Enduro Cup standings, while Love and Pancione each finished on the podium for the first time in their respective Porsche careers.

Cameron Crick finished fourth overall while Suhle – who had climbed to second in the championship following his maiden win yesterday – failed to add to his overnight score .

After starting 23rd, former championship leader Max Vidau stormed through the field to run as high as fifth by mid-race, only to ultimately slip back to eighth at the finish as he struggled following damage to his front splitter early in the race.

The battle for TAG Heuer Pro-Am honours was another competitive affair, race one and two winner Shahin actually leading the race outright after another blinding start.

Having used his newest tyres in Saturday’s sprint races, he slowly slipped through the pack and ultimately spent much of the race battling with class rival, Brett Boulton.

Boulton slipped through on lap 16 and ultimately pulled away to record his first class victory of the season, while Shahin’s second position ensured he won the round and extended his lead at the top of the championship.

“It was really tough,” Shahin said. “By race three we had the oldest tyres probably of the field, and the car was a handful – but I actually really enjoyed it!

“I was grinning holding on to the car. It is a bit of a breakthrough weekend for me because this place hasn’t been the happiest of hunting grounds for me to so to go home with a win is great.”

Michael Loccisano completed the TAG Heuer Pro-Am podium.

In Class B, Andrew Goldie completed a perfect sweep of the weekend’s races; taking his third win from as many starts in Sydney to take the round. David Grieg and Nathan Murray completed the podium.

PORSCHE junior Ryan Suhle and TAG Heuer Pro-Am leader Sam Shahin were the big winners from a dramatic day in round two of the Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge at Sydney Motorsport Park.

A pair of 10-lap races proved to be the most dramatic of the season and saw vastly different results on a near-perfect day in Sydney’s west.

Championship leader Max Vidau perfectly converted pole to a race one victory earlier in the day, his fourth in a row and the eleventh straight for Sonic Motor Racing across Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup and GT3 Cup Challenge.

However his day unravelled as he attempted to launch his Bob Jane T-Marts car from pole in race two; a failed clutch seeing him stranded on the line as the 24-car field stormed past.

Though he was recovered to pit lane, the team was unable to return the young South Australian to the race.

In his stead, Aaron Love assumed the race lead and a perfect restart saw him extend an early margin following the Safety Car period called to recover Vidau’s stranded car.

However Love would run wide at turn two to be another to surrender the lead, McElrea Racing driver Suhle in the right position to take advantage as he then assumed the top spot.

He then edged away from a furious battle for second place to record his first Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge victory, and the first of the year for the McElrea team.

“It’s awesome to come away with a win,” Suhle said.

“Our consistency in that race was good and we approached it like a bit of a test session and not worrying about what was behind me. I was able to improve on some things I was working on technically with my driving. It’s a really good race and I’m looking forward to coming back tomorrow straight back into the Porsche in the Enduro race.”

Sam Shahin won the TAG Heuer Pro-Am class in both 10-lap races on Saturday however his performance in race two arguably the finest of his Porsche career.

Starting sixth, a superb start saw him leap to third in the opening two corners before the Safety Car was called.

He then gained second place when Love came off the road and subsequently spent the remainder of the race defending his position from Porsche Michelin Juniors Harri Jones, Tom Taplin, Christian Pancione and Cameron Crick in a furious five-car battle.

It ensured he not only won his class but finished second outright as well.

“It was an incredibly tough race.

“I felt like I really matured through that drive. I felt really comfortable in the car and it was really rewarding to race against those really very, very talented pros.

“I think that is probably my best ever drive. There’s been some incredibly talented drivers in the Pro-Am class that I have been privileged to race against but the Pros are always the yardstick.

“It was a lot of fun – I’m still shaking from some of those laps near the end. I got a taste of real pressure. I’m just so proud I held my own and felt pretty comfortable doing it.”

Earlier in the day, Vidau had led from lights to flag to take the first race of the weekend and extend his championship lead over Harri Jones.

Aaron Love scored his best result of the season in second, delivering another Sonic 1-2, while Jones and Suhle were third and fourth respectively.

Cameron Crick finished fifth, despite a five-second penalty for rolling at the start, while Shahin was the best of the TAG Heuer Pro-Am contingent in sixth.

Brett Boulton had led Shahin for a majority of the race however a late spin saw him drop down the order, with a post-race penalty for overtaking under yellows seeing him drop further down the order.

Suhle’s win in race two came by just over two seconds, with the next five cars covered by almost the same margin.

Boulton recovered to seventh outright and second in Pro-Am while Ross McGregor, Michael Loccisano and Love completed the top-10.

Love had dropped to fifth following his moment on the restart only to drop further down the order as he survived a wild, 200km/hr moment at turn one a few laps later.

Andrew Goldie won Class B in both races, a sensational performance in race two seeing his older-model 997 GT3 Cup Car finish a strong 12th outright.

The championship-changing day sees the consistent Harri Jones provisionally assume the championship lead following the first five races of the season.

He holds a 12-point margin over teammate Suhle, while Vidau drops to third a further six points further back.

Aaron Love retains fourth in the standings while Shahin is close behind in fifth – comfortably leading TAG Heuer Pro-Am.

A further 60 points are up for grabs tomorrow in the final race of the weekend, the 25-lap Jim Richards Enduro Trophy event.

The race will be streamed live via the Shannons Nationals live stream.

MAX VIDAU has charged to his first ever Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge Pole position, the Sonic driver edging out his McElrea Racing rival Ryan Suhle to take the top spot in qualifying for round two at Sydney Motorsport Park.

Brett Boulton, meanwhile, narrowly beat TAG Heuer Pro-Am class leader Sam Shahin by 0.02 seconds to grab the top spot in the Cup Challenge ‘race within a race’ this weekend.

In a session interrupted by a lengthy red-flag – after Sergio Pires lost a wheel and became stranded on the circuit – Vidau banked the fastest time early in the session prior to setting an even quicker 1m30.2281s flyer late to secure pole.

Suhle, who qualified on the second row in the opening round, was second while fellow Porsche Michelin Junior Cameron Crick was a stunning third: rebounding strongly this weekend after completely rebuilding his car between rounds.

Round one runner-up Harri Jones was fourth with the first two rows covered by just 0.5 seconds.

Vidau, who won all three races in Tasmania to kickstart his title chase, said he was pleased to finally break his qualifying duck – having come close on several occasions before.

“I started on the front row multiple times but couldn’t quite get the top spot,” Vidau said.

“Sonic gave me an awesome car, it was great to drive. We’re looking forward to the races.

“The disrupted session changed our plans a little bit but ultimately we went out there and got the job done.”

Crick’s third-place effort was a significant rebound from his challenging debut at Symmons Plains, where his car was heavily damaged in a start-line crash in the opening race.

Though the GWR Australia team returned him to the circuit for races two and three in Tasmania, a complete rebuild has the local driver in a brand-new machine this weekend – Crick rewarding their efforts by splitting the McElrea drivers.

Round one polesitter Harri Jones was fourth, less than 0.1 seconds behind Crick, having been unable to improve his position on his final flying lap right at the end of the session.

Boulton qualified eighth but it was his battle with Shahin for TAG Heuer Pro-Am pole position that was a highlight.

The pair traded fastest laps throughout and the McElrea Racing / Bold Group driver had to dig deep to edge his tiny margin by the end of the session.

“It was awesome – I really love this place and feel like I’m driving well,” Boulton said.

“It was a really close battle throughout the session. Sam was the benchmark driver down in Tasmania so hopefully we can have some really good races. He’s always good to battle with.”

Pires recovered from his early issues to qualify third in class and 10th outright, while Michael Hovey qualified fourth on his return to GT3 Cup Challenge having missed the opening round. Marcel Zalloua and Shane Barwood were next in a tightly-grouped Pro-Am battle.

Andrew Goldie grabbed pole position in Class B, just 0.1 seconds ahead of David Grieg.

Saturday will see the 24-strong field contest a pair of 10-lap races at Sydney Motorsport Park.

Each race will be streamed live on the Shannons Nationals live stream, available via the Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge website and social media channels.

Sunday will see the third and final race of round two, the 25-lap Jim Richards endurance trophy race to decide the round.

THE FIGHT for the Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge will continue at Sydney Motorsport Park this weekend, the series to feature a strong 23-car field as title battles intensify in the second round of the 2019 series.

While the seven Porsche Michelin Junior drivers continue to fight for Professional class honours, both the TAG Heuer Pro-Am and Class B categories will also take another step up in competitiveness.

Fresh from winning the opening round at Symmons Plains Raceway early last month, South Australian teenager Max Vidau will head to the 3.9km Sydney circuit filled with confidence aboard his Sonic Motor Racing Porsche 991 GT3 Cup Car.

Vidau narrowly missed pole position at the Tasmanian circuit however stormed to three consecutive victories to open his title account in style.

As a result of his Tasmanian sweep, Vidau edged out a 18-point margin over runner-up Harri Jones, who scored pole position and finished second in each race at Round 1.

The open-wheel champion and his McElrea Racing teammate, Ryan Suhle, completed the podium in the opening round.

Aaron Love, the younger brother of recent Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Australia round winner Jordan, finished fourth in Tasmania while Tom Taplin will look to build on his consistent opening round, the young Adelaide teenager finishing sixth overall in the series opener.

Christian Pancione and Cameron Crick each rebounded from incidents to show their potential in Tasmania and will look forward to trouble free weekends in Sydney.

Fifth outright and first in TAG Heuer Pro-Am was Sam Shahin, who will continue to do ‘double duties’ as he splits his 2019 campaign between Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup and GT3 Cup Challenge.

As well as winning all three races in Pro-Am, Shahin recorded finishes of sixth, sixth and fifth outright in the opening round and will be hoping to mix it with the young-guns at the front of the field once again this weekend.

The experienced Ross McGregor sits second in Pro-Am while Sergio Pires completed a successful step from Class B in 2018 to finish third in the opening round this year.

After being involved in a race one start-line incident in Tasmania, Brett Boulton charged his way through to finish fourth overall in the opening round thanks to a pair of second-placed finishes in races two and three, respectively.

The TAG Heuer Pro-Am battle is anticipated to be just as competitive as the outright fight thanks to the addition of several key runners this weekend.

Michael Hovey, who finished third in the class last season, makes his first start of the season while Adelaide racer Marty Ewer and Victorian Matt Belford make their debuts this weekend.

David Grieg will look to defend his class lead in Class B following a successful opening round, however is expected to fact stiff competition from Tony Martin, Nathan Murray and Andrew Goldie this weekend.

The Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge will tackle three races at Sydney Motorsport Park this weekend.

For the first time all three races will be shown live on the Shannons Nationals live stream which extends to include coverage of Saturday races for the first time.

Following practice and qualifying on Friday, the series will contest two sprint races on Saturday prior to the second round of the Jim Richards Endurance Trophy to be contested over 25-laps on Sunday.

South Australian Max Vidau has clinched an impressive clean sweep of race wins at Symmons Plains Raceway to depart the opening 2019 Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge Australia round with the championship lead, while Sam Shahin continued his TAG Heuer Pro-Am dominance to claim three race wins at his first visit to the Tasmanian circuit.

After two race victories on Saturday, Vidau was again the best from the start line to lead into the opening corner. He then held the lead until a mid-race safety car was called to recover Shane Barwood’s car from the inside of the turn four hairpin.

Then, as the Porsche field trailed the safety car, rain started to fall on Symmons Plains. The change in weather conditions forced an extended safety car period which ultimately ran until the chequered flag. Vidau therefore secured a perfect start to his 2019 GT3 Cup Challenge season to start his second year in the series.

“It’s the best way to start the season. The team gave me an awesome car throughout the weekend and it’s a really positive way to leave Symmons Plains,” said Vidau.

“Coming to the round I expected strong results but three from three is absolutely perfect. I’m very happy with it and I’m now looking to the next round in Sydney. I’ve been there before and I have a bit of experience there so hopefully I can replicate the same result I had here in Tasmania.”

Harri Jones was the best of the series rookies, placing second in each of the three GT3 Cup Challenge races during the season opener with teammate Ryan Suhle placing third in each despite pressure from Aaron Love in Sunday’s final race.

Sam Shahin was untouchable in the TAG Heuer Pro-Am class. The Carrera Cup racer followed his two race wins on Saturday with another class race win on Sunday, which was coupled with an impressive five place outright.

“I’m absolutely over the moon. That last race was really tough. I had contact on lap one, turn one and I had a very interesting car to drive with the steering wheel pointing at 30 degrees. They made the right call to extend the safety car period with the weather conditions. I’m very relieved and very thrilled,” said Shahin.

Ross McGregor placed second for the round in the TAG Heuer Pro-Am class in his 30th GT3 Cup Challenge round start; a third place and two fourth-place finishes proving consistency was key to his round success. Sergio Pires then placed third for the round in his TAG Heuer Pro-Am class debut.

While Andrew Goldie was the best of the Class B runners in the final race, former Class B champion David Greig, who placed third in race three, won the round from Tony Martin and debutant Nathan Murray.

Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge Australia will next line up for round two of the 2019 championship at Sydney Motorsport Park on May 17-19, 2019.

Michelin Junior Max Vidau has had the perfect start to his 2019 Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge Australia campaign with two race wins from the first two races of 2019 at Symmons Plains Raceway, while Sam Shahin continued his Friday form with a clean sweep of Saturday race wins in the TAG Heuer Pro-Am class.

Vidau started the day with an impressive race one performance – following a red flag and race restart. The first attempt of a race start saw Cameron Crick fail to move from the start line. Tom Taplin narrowly missed the stationary #777 Porsche though Brett Boulton wasn’t so lucky, making heavy contact with Crick. While both drivers were unscathed, their Porsches received substantial damage and were unable to continue.

Vidau led pole-sitter Harri Jones into the opening corner on the restart then managed to pull away to ultimately claim a three-second victory from Jones in the shortened 22-lap race to take an early lead in the Jim Richards Endurance Trophy. Ryan Suhle placed third from Aaron Love and Christian Pancione.

Sam Shahin continued to be the class of the TAG Heuer Pro-Am field, taking sixth outright and first in class in race one, finishing 25 seconds ahead of his closest class rival Sergio Pires, with Ross McGregor third in class in his 30th round start.

Andrew Goldie capitalised on a late-race accident from Emanuel Palyaris to claim the Class B race win from David Greig and Tony Martin.

Vidau again dominated in race two, leading from the start and effectively navigating the lapped traffic to take a five-second victory from Jones and Suhle.

“It’s the perfect way to start the season – two race wins here in Tasmania. I hoped for a strong start to the season and it’s great to start this way having never seen this place before,” said Vidau.

“I struggled in practice and I couldn’t get into a rhythm with all the traffic, but our race pace was great and I have managed to navigate the traffic really well. Obviously in practice the new guys were pretty quick but it’s a different story in racing, which is something I worked out pretty quickly last year. We’re working hard and winning races so I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”

Much like Vidau’s impressive form at the front, fellow South Australian Shahin continued at the head of TAG Heuer Pro-Am. Once again, Shahin was racing among the tail end of the Pro field and placed sixth outright ahead of Crick and Boulton, who both came from the rear of the field after their race one start-line accident to place seventh and eighth, respectively, in race two.

“I’m just over the moon. GT3 Cup Challenge is just a wonderful category and has always produced great close racing. There’s pure class and talent throughout the field and I’m thrilled to be in the company of such great racers with great futures in front of them,” said Shahin.

“I love Tasmania now. This is my first time at Symmons Plains; it’s a technical little track with absolutely no room for even the smallest error. It’s been a great, sunny, beautiful Tasmanian weekend so far and I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”

While Goldie was the best of Class B in race one, a post-race two penalty for being underweight handed David Greig the class win in race two from Emanuel Palyaris, Tony Martin and Nathan Murray.

Saturday’s competition saw Matt Kingsley’s nine-year-old race lap record fall to dual race winner Vidau with the South Australian’s best race two lap of 0:53.0270secs.

One race remains for the opening Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge Australia round of the season, to be held at 12:50pm on Sunday, which can be viewed live on both Fox Sports 506 and streaming service Kayo.

Max Vidau has taken victory in the opening race of the 2019 Porsche Michelin GT3 Cup Challenge Australia season at Symmons Plains Raceway while Sam Shahin continued his TAG Heuer Pro-Am dominance.

The first attempt of a race start saw Cameron Crick fail to move from the start line. Tom Taplin narrowly missed the stationary #777 Porsche though Brett Boulton wasn’t so lucky, making heavy contact with Crick. While both drivers were unscathed, their Porsches received substantial damage and were unable to continue.

The race was red flagged and subsequently restarted, with Vidau leading pole-sitter Harri Jones into the opening corner. Vidau then managed to pull away to ultimately claim a three-second victory from Jones in the shortened 22-lap race. Ryan Suhle placed third from Aaron Love and Christian Pancione.

Sam Shahin continued as the class of the TAG Heuer Pro-Am field, taking sixth outright and first in class, finishing 25 seconds ahead of his closest class rival Sergio Pires, with Ross McGregor third in class in his 30th round start.

Andrew Goldie capitalised on a late-race accident of Emanuel Palyaris to claim the Class B race win from David Greig and Tony Martin.

The race also saw Matt Kingsley’s nine-year-old race lap record fall to race winner Max Vidau with the South Australian’s lap five performance of 0:53.2327.

Race two will be held at 3:25pm later today, with the final race of the season opener on Sunday, both of which can be viewed live on both Fox Sports 506 and streaming service Kayo.

Driver Bio

David Wall enters the 2018 Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia series with the coveted #1 on his new Porsche 911 GT3 Cup.

Two-time Australian GT Champion David Wall made a triumphant return to the Porsche Carrera Cup Australia in 2016, winning in Darwin, scoring 10 podium finishes and finishing an outstanding third in the championship.

Sydneysider Wall made his name in Carrera Cup between 2006-2008, before winning in Australian GT and then making the move into Supercars competition.

Wall has made eight Bathurst 1000 starts and in 2016 also scored a podium finish – his first in the sport – on the Gold Coast, sharing the No. 33 Garry Rogers Motorsport entry with Scott McLaughlin.

Wall returned to Carrera Cup full-time in 2016 with his own Wall Racing team and eventually achieved the ultimate success, claiming the 2017 Carrera Cup crown.

Driver Bio

Melbourne-based Stephen Grove is the epitome of a Porsche racer – a strong passion for motorsport and a vast appreciation of the 911 GT3 Cup race car.

A successful businessman away from the race track with his Grove Group company, which features on his Porsche 911 race car, Grove’s increasing experience behind the wheel has pushed him quickly towards the front of the TAG Heuer Pro-Am competition.

Grove debuted in the Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia championship mid-way through the 2012 season, when you could also you could find him competing in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Australia series at the time.

Grove would go on to win the 2014 TAG Heuer Carrera Challenge title, finish second in the 2015 season and third in the 2016 title race. And then, in 2017, Grove impressed by claiming his second class crown.

Driver Bio

Tim Miles has made a successful ascent of the Porsche Motorsport Pyramid over the past few season, moving from the GT3 Cup Challenge series through to the ultra-competitive Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia championship.

Miles’ racing trajectory with Porsche has seen him rise through the GT3 Cup Challenge ranks to ultimately claim the 2016 Elite Class crown. His racing resume was also sprinkled with Porsche Pro-Am appearances as a co-driver for the likes of Renee Gracie, Matt Campbell and, in 2017, Jaxon Evans.

The Sydney based businessman then made his Carrera Cup debut as a single driver entry at Darwin’s Hidden Valley Raceway in 2017, placing second in the TAG Heuer Carrera Challenge for the round, before a successful run to the end of the season, which included a class clean sweep at Bathurst.

Driver Bio

A young rising star based in Queensland – but with Kiwi heritage – Jaxon Evans continues to step up the Porsche Motorsport Pyramid having finished a narrow second in the 2016 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Australia Series.

After two years learning the ropes of one-make Porsche competition, Evans stepped into Carrera Cup in 2017 behind the wheel of the car Matt Campbell took to the outright championship in season 2016.

Evans was well-prepared for his step into the big league, having won the Jim Richards Endurance Trophy in 2016 – the GT3 Cup Challenge’s ‘series within a series’ for longer distance races.

Following the same career progression as his friend Campbell, Evans made a successful transition to Carrera Cup, finishing fifth in the standings with two convincing round wins at Darwin and Gold Coast.

Driver Bio

Nick McBride joined Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia in the hunt for a career in Supercars and has since forged a reputation as one of the series’ most competitive drivers.

The Victorian returned to Australia after a two and a half year campaign in the United Kingdom, competing in British Formula Ford and Formula 3. He finished 10th in the prestigious F3 title this year, but shifted his desire for an open wheel ambitions to one which would focus on a tin-top career in Australia.

McBride won his first Carrera Cup Australia race on home turf at Albert Park in 2015, and backed that up with his first ever round win at the Clipsal 500 in March 2016 and an eventual Sandown round victory in 2017.

Driver Bio

Seasoned Porsche racer Marc Cini has more experience in the Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia championship than any other, sitting at 95 round starts at the start of the 2018 season.

A successful businessman away from the track with his company Hallmarc Developments, this Porsche enthusiast scores one of his highlight achievements in 2017, claiming the inaugural 2017 TAG Heuer Pro-Am Endurance Cup title.

Driver Bio

Sam Shahin is a product of the Porsche Motorsport Pyramid, entering Porsche one-make racing in the entry-level GT3 Cup Challenge series before making his Carrera Cup debut at the 2017 Pro-Am event at Phillip Island, where he teamed with Dan Gaunt to place third on the TAG Heuer Carrera Challenge class podium.

Shahin’s continued improvement in Porsche one-make series has seen the South Australian businessman develop into a hugely competitive Porsche racer among the Pro-Am ranks, though he shocked even the overall competition when taking the outright victory at the opening 2017 GT3 Cup Challenge round at Sandown.

Shahin then made his Carrera Cup debut as a single driver entry at Carrera Cup’s fourth round of 2017 in Darwin, where he claimed round honours in the Challenge class.

Driver Bio

Peter Major entered Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia with experience in both Porsche’s second-tier GT3 Cup Challenge series and the Australian GT Championship, where he is a dual race winner.

Major’s sole GT3 Cup Challenge saw the West Australian take second outright and second in the Professional Class at his Winton debut behind eventual champion and 2018 teammate Jordan Love.

Driver Bio

Hunt moved to Europe aged 16 to pursue his professional driving career. From karting in Italy, Hunt moved to USF2000 in the USA before a stint in Toyota Atlantic Championship. Since then, Hunt had a range of open wheel, sports car and prototype experience that saw him well-placed for the 2018 Porsche season.

Driver Bio

One of Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia’s ‘originals’, Dean Cook returned to the championship in 2017 after a more than a 13-year absence.

Cook competed in the first two season of Carrera Cup Australia, finishing a strong 10th outright in the inaugural 2003 championship – in front of serious names like Andrew Miedecke, Rodney Jane, Peter Hill and Geoff Morgan.

That was despite a limited racing CV prior to his Carrera Cup campaign, that included several starts over two years racing in the popular GT Nations Cup series, also racing a Porsche 996 GT3 Cup.

He returned for several races in the 2004 Carrera Cup season however did not contest the full series and had not raced in a major championship until his successful return in 2017, when he claimed a class victory in the final round of the season in the Gold Coast.

Driver Bio

Roger Lago is highly credentialed in Porsche one-make series. The Queenslander is one of two former GT3 Cup Challenge champions in the Carrera Cup series and was a TAG Heuer Pro-Am front-runner in the 2015 series until a qualifying accident in Townsville ended his season campaign.

Lago returned to the series in 2018, coinciding with the introduction of the new Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car.

Driver Bio

Indiran Padayachee is one of the many GT3 Cup Challenge graduates to compete in the 2018 Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia season.

The TAG Heuer Pro-Am ranked driver also entered the 2018 Carrera Cup season having 15 rounds of experience in the GT3 Cup Challenge category and a single round of Carrera Cup after partnering his son and former Carrera Cup driver, Duvashen Padayachee, in the 2015 Pro-Am event at Phillip Island.

Driver Bio

Michael Almond burst on to the Porsche scene in 2010, when he qualified on pole on his debut in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Australia – and he has since to go on and forge a strong career with the brand.

A race winner in GT3 Cup Challenge, Almond also won races in the classic Touring Car Masters series, racing a 1973 Porsche RS against much larger and more powerful cars – and drivers like Jim Richards, John Bowe and Glenn Seton.

A move to Carrera Cup in late 2012 has seen his career climb towards a breakout season in 2016 that netted his first career win. Appropriately for this Adelaide born and bread driver, it came in front of his home town fans and friends on the streets of Adelaide at the Adelaide 500.

Almond this season joins Sonic Motor Racing Services as one of the two Bob Jane T-Marts entries.

Driver Bio

Dylan O’Keeffe is a young Victorian driver going places in a hurry, as shown by his rapid rise through the Porsche Motorsport Pyramid to be a contender for victories in just his second year of the Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia.

Graduating from success in the Porsche 944 series in his native Victoria, O’Keeffe burst onto the scene in 2015 by finishing second to Ryan Simpson in the GT3 Cup Challenge Australia series.

His elevation to Carrera Cup in 2016 saw him steadily progress until a breakout round in Darwin saw him achieve personal best results in Qualifying (4th), racing (4th) and the round result – 4th.

Driver Bio

Wood entered Supercars in 2007, racing in the Super2 Series and ultimately graduated to the Supercars Championship full-time in 2009. Wood would return to the Super2 Series and claim the series title in 2013 before securing a full-time Supercars drive from 2014 to 2017 and, ultimately, making his way to the Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia series in 2018.

Driver Bio

Canberra racing driver Cameron Hill chose Porsche power for the next phase of his career, announcing he would undertake a full-time campaign in the 2018 Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia series following a stint in the Toyota 86 Racing Series.

The 21-year-old demonstrated his talent ahead of his Carrera Cup debut, winning the coveted Australian Formula Ford Series in 2015 and scoring more race victories than anyone else in the Toyota 86 Racing Series during 2016 and 2017.

Driver Bio

Graham Williams made his Porsche Wilson Security Carrera Cup Australia debut in 2017 – but he’s also no stranger to Porsche competition.

He’s raced his Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car to strong results in Victorian State Production Sports Car competition, including a top-10 finish in the 2016 championship. He’s also competed in several Porsche Club sprint and driving events, building a wealth of experience behind the wheel of his 911 GT3 Cup.

Williams had a strong debut season in the Porsche series and returns in 2018, set to capitalise on the experience gained, with #131 – the number he raced in Motorcross during his teenage years in South Australia.

Driver Bio

Jordan Love made his Carrera Cup debut at Sandown in 2017 just one week after securing the outright GT3 Cup Challenge title at Phillip Island. Following the title win, Love announced a three-round initiation into Carrera Cup and an eventual full-time series entry in 2018.

Love was also named as an official Porsche Junior driver at the start of the 2017 GT3 Cup Challenge season, becoming only the second driver to be the recipient of the Jamey Blaikie Scholarship.